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Regeneration

Recovery is much like tending our own garden. A garden needs water, fertilizer, sunshine, good soil and a lot of attention by the gardener. We, as Christians and recovering people need:

the water of prayer, meditation, and communing with God

the fertilizer of fellowship

the "Sonshine" of resting in Him (letting go and letting God)

the rich soil of God's Word in which to firmly anchor our roots. Not only must we read the Word but we must *understand* it and *actively apply* it to our own lives. Roots must be anchored in the soil, they must take up the nourishment and then send it to the entire system of the plant so it may flourish.

a lot of attention by us, as our own gardeners, to remove all weeds that appear.

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Ah! The beauty of God's creation is beyond description!
As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me.

He asked me,
"Do you love me?"
I answered,
"Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!"

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Then He asked,
"If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?"

I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest
of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do,
the things that I took for granted.

The traditional symbol of the medical profession, the serpent on a pole, is commonly known as the staff of Asklepios. This was the name of a Greek physician of the eighth or ninth century BC. And it involved one of the most anomalous events in the Bible. Yet the roots of the serpent and pole symbol go back farther, to the Exodus from Egypt around 1200 BC. When the children of Israel were plagued with venomous snakes, Moses was instructed to "……. "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard (pole); and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live (Num. 21:8, 9)."

Intercession might be defined as love on its knees in prayer for others. It is pleading to Father God on behalf of the needs of someone else. Another way of looking at intercession is that you are standing in the gap for someone else. That is, you are identifying with the sins of those you are in prayer for, asking God's forgiveness and mercy on their behalf.

Intercession can be one of the most exciting, creative and rewarding experiences in your Christian life. In your prayer closet, you can pray
around the world. Although intercessors are not often publicly rewarded or recognized for their service, they are a vital part of any growing church or ministry. Their faithful dedication to intercession creates a foundation that allows the Lord to work in mighty ways.

Yes! We are not called to perfect ourselves before we come to God. If we could do that, then Jesus could have spared himself the agony of dying of the cross in payment for our sins. He would have simply instructed us to live sin-free lives. He knew, though, that man is utterly incapable of cleansing himself, as demonstrated throughout the Old Testament.